


Forty Seven Days And Counting

by lionfjsh



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-13 14:50:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17489981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lionfjsh/pseuds/lionfjsh
Summary: It takes forty seven days for Shuichi to call him.  He counted.





	1. Day One

Shuichi sighed, pushing open the door to his friend’s coffee shop.  He was there almost daily, keeping to himself in the back corner, partially hidden away from the rest of the people inside.  He liked to work on his cases there. It was much cosier than his cramped office, and he liked to support his friend, Kaede’s, business.  He ordered so much coffee every day, she often joked that he alone could keep it on its feet.

“Good morning!”

“Good m-”  Shuichi stopped, eyes snapping up to the person at the counter.  Kaede didn’t have very many employees. In fact, it was usually only her, Makoto, and a girl named Maki, who was friends with Kaede.

However, a new voice had greeted him that day.  A new person was standing behind the counter. He was grinning, dark purple hair falling into his face a little bit.  He looked young, maybe a university student? Kaede was standing next to him, giving Shuichi a smile.

“Good morning,” Shuichi said, glancing at Kaede for explanation.

“This is Kokichi Ouma,” she introduced.  “He’s my newest employee!” She had a giant smile on her face, as if she were really excited about picking up someone else to work for her.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ouma,” Shuichi said politely. 

“Yeah, you too, Blueberry!” Ouma said with a wink.

“Saihara.”

“Gesundheit.”

“No, my name,” Shuichi sighed.  “It’s Saihara. Shuichi.”

“Saihara-kun is my very best customer,” Kaede said with a giggle.  “He basically lives here. You can expect to see him every day. All day every day.”

“Jeez Blueberry-chan, do you have a life?” Kokichi asked.

Shuichi only stared at him.  He hadn’t gotten enough sleep or coffee to properly form the snarky response he wished he could.  Instead, he settled for hazily examining Kokichi’s big, purple eyes, which were staring right back at him.

“Ahaha…  He’s just joking,” Kaede said nervously.  “I’ll get you a coffee.”

“Thanks,” Shuichi mumbled, slinking off to his secluded alcove.  He sank down into the squishy armchair and set his bag on the floor.  Pulling out his laptop, he sighed, preparing to set to work on his latest case.

“Sorry about him,” Kaede said, setting Shuichi’s coffee down on the table in front of him and taking a seat in a chair across from him.  “I know he’s a little bit of a handful, but he seemed so desperate when he showed up here, I couldn’t turn him down.”

“You’re too nice,” Shuichi mumbled, picking up the coffee.

“I mean, I’ve gotta give him a chance, right?” she pressed on.  “How bad could he possibly be?”

“No, you’re right,” he sighed.  “I’m sure it’ll be fine. You really know how to bring the best out of people, after all.”

“Aww, now  _ you’re _ the one being too nice,” Kaede said with a laugh.  “I’ll let you get to work. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Kaede,” Shuichi said, but his focus was already on the screen in front of him.

The case he had picked up wasn’t exactly a difficult one.  He assumed he’d have it solved and closed by the end of the day.  Assuming, that is, that nobody bothered him. And nobody usually did.  Most of Kaede’s customers were regulars, either dropping by for a drink every morning or staying for a while like he did.

The ones that stayed were almost all old ladies that knew Kaede from some piano thing she used to do.  Sometimes they’d read, sometimes they’d knit, sometimes they’d try something new like writing or painting.  They chatted amongst themselves, but rarely spoke to Shuichi. They were on friendly terms, of course, but they knew he was busy, and he had work to do.

Occasionally, a few university students would hunker in and study for a while, but none of them ever kept coming for more than a week or so.  He wasn’t sure where they went. He never bothered to find out. It’s not like he was going to leave with them, so it didn’t interest him at all.

Kyoko Kirigiri didn’t come in every day, but she did come in frequently.  As expected, seeing as she was friends with Makoto. Shuichi and Kyoko tended to avoid each other.  It wasn’t that Shuichi necessarily had a  _ problem _ with her.  But Shuichi wasn’t on very good terms with the police force for which she worked, so their interactions were kept to a minimum.

The only other people he saw regularly were the employees.  Kaede was there all day, of course, and Makoto worked in the afternoons and evenings.  Kaede’s other friend, Maki, worked the late shift, often starting after Shuichi left for the day.  However, she spent most days up in the loft, working hard on  _ something _ , though he never bothered to ask what.  She left every once in a while, and one time a really loud boy came to visit her.  He hadn’t been back since.

In any case, Shuichi was, for the most part, left alone.  And he liked it that way. He was perfectly content to settle down into that chair and work through cases from dawn until dusk.  By the end of the day, there was usually a good stack of coffee cups on the table, papers scattered around with neatly written notes scrawled over them.

But Kokichi was not going to let him have that luxury.

Shuichi had just gotten focused, settling in and reviewing the evidence he’d been presented with for his case.  It was a pretty hefty amount, nothing to sneeze at, but it would take a good deal of thinking. He picked up the case summary once more to look over that as well, trying to pick a place to start.

He was interrupted by none other than Kokichi himself plopping down in the chair Kaede had been in not ten minutes before.  Shuichi looked up at him, raising an eyebrow inquisitively, but Kokichi only stared at him with a smile. After watching him for a few more moments, Shuichi went back to his work, choosing to ignore him.

“So are you  _ really _ here all day every day?” Kokichi asked, interrupting Shuichi again.

Shuichi sighed, looking up from his laptop.  “Not necessarily,” he said. “Occasionally I stay in the office while I work.  Sometimes I have meetings with clients. Why?”

“Because you’d  _ really _ have to be some sort of loser to spend all day here,” Kokichi snickered.

“Are you saying it’s not a nice coffee shop?” Shuichi asked.  He narrowed his eyes. It felt petty, but if Kokichi was insulting Kaede’s hard work… 

“Nope!” he exclaimed, seemingly unaffected by Shuichi’s glare.  “Not at all. But the only people that stick around here all the time are old ladies.  Are you an old lady, Shumai?”

“S-Shumai…?” Shuichi mumbled.  First blueberries and then dumplings?  “And no, I’m not. Clearly.”

“Well then, you’ve gotta be a loser!” Kokichi proclaimed.  Shuichi didn’t respond, so he continued. “The only other people here are old ladies with nothing better to do.  So like, what’s that make you, huh? At least they have friends! Nishishi!”

“I have friends…” Shuichi mumbled, glaring off to the side.

“Oh yeah?  Name one other than Akamatsu-chan.”

Shuichi turned his glare towards Kokichi.  He was regarding him smugly, a self satisfied smirk on his face.  Shuichi knew he shouldn’t engage the boy, but found himself desperately trying to think of another friend despite that.  To his horror, he couldn’t really think of anybody.

“You and Harumaki are both losers,” Kokichi sighed, standing up again.  He stretched his arms above his head, yawning obnoxiously as he did so. “I’ll getcha another coffee then, toaster waffle.”

“That wasn’t even clever,” Shuichi sighed to himself, though he appreciated the thought.  He hadn’t realised he’d run out of coffee already until Kokichi had mentioned it. He did seem to be rather observant, if not flippant with a blatant disregard for others.

Shuichi cracked open his laptop again, set on getting into his case.  He’d already been delayed long enough. Though it was simple, it wasn’t necessarily pleasant.  Every once in a while he got hired to find missing pets, and it was a welcome relief, but this case wasn’t one of them.  Much more in line with his usual jobs, it was a homicide. 

Again, a relatively simple one.  He already had a pretty clear suspect.  The victim’s ex boyfriend, someone with a violent criminal record.  If he recalled correctly, a knife he owned was found at the scene of the crime.  It certainly wasn’t enough evidence to convict him. Shuichi needed to go over everything in detail, make sure it really had been him.  Piece together what he’d done and when. Collect enough evidence to put someone behind bars. It wasn’t often that he got a case as easy as that.

True to his word, Kokichi returned a few minutes later with another cup of coffee.  He set in front of Shuichi wordlessly, and the latter mumbled out a ‘thanks’ as he did so.  Without looking up from the case summary, Shuichi grabbed the cup of coffee and took a sip, immediately recoiling at the sweet taste. 

“Ah, Ouma-kun,” Shuichi called, moving to stand up only to see Kokichi still standing right in front of him, grinning from ear to ear.  Shuichi sighed. “I only take my coffee black,” he said.

“What?!” Ouma cried.  “But that’s so boring!”  He frowned, staring at the ground to his left.  “And I made that one special for you…”

Shuichi winced, feeling a little bad.  “I-I didn’t know,” he said softly. “I’m sorry, I’ll drink it.  Thank you...”

“Good!” he exclaimed.  He’d perked up immediately, almost as if his disappointment had been fake.  “I made that one just how I like my coffee. I hope you like it, Saihara-chan~”

Shuichi was left staring after him as he pranced away, confused and a little flustered.  It had been the first time Kokichi had called him by his actual name, and it made his heart clench a little.  Not that he’d ever admit that.

He looked down at the coffee disdainfully.  He’d drink it, of course, but he wasn’t necessarily looking forward to it.  Kokichi seemed childish, and judging by the sip he’d just had, the coffee was probably… hardly any coffee at all.  Taking another sip, he sighed. It wasn’t  _ awful _ , but he much preferred something with a little (or a lot) less milk.

“So what exactly does he  _ do _ ?” Kokichi asked Kaede.  The two were standing behind the counter again, Kokichi leaning up against the side of it as they waited for customers.

“He’s a private investigator,” Kaede told him. 

“Really?!” Kokichi cried, trying to stifle a laugh.  “You mean like those guys on TV that tell you to call them if you or your loved one have suffered from mesothelioma?!” 

Kaede laughed.  Kokichi noted that even her laugh sounded musical.  He couldn’t help but wonder why she’d stopped playing the piano.  It was clear that she loved it, so why’d she bother to open up a coffee shop?  One that wasn’t even very successful, to boot.

“Not exactly,” Kaede told him, dragging Kokichi back into the present conversation.  “He actually handles a lot of murder cases.”

“Murder…?”  Kokichi glanced over across the shop, as if he could see around the corner where Shuichi was sitting.

“Mhmm!” Kaede said.  “People come to him when they can’t rely on the police, mostly.  Whether that’s with a cold case, or one that the police just don’t take seriously.”

“And does he solve them?” Kokichi asked, suddenly very interested in him.  Maybe Shuichi wasn’t so much of a loser after all.

“Always,” she said with a smile.  “He hasn’t left a case unsolved yet.”

“Don’t the police get upset?”  Kokichi frowned, standing up straighter.

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Kaede suggested.  She knew Shuichi was busy, but Kokichi seemed genuinely interested.  And she knew more than anybody that Shuichi could use another friend.

“Maybe later,” Kokichi said with a shrug.  “He’s so lame, I bet he’d bore me to death!” he said with a laugh.  Kaede rolled her eyes with a smile. Despite what he said, she was sure he was truly just being considerate of Shuichi’s job.  Kokichi was a lot nicer than he let on.

“Right.  Well in that case, would you grind some more coffee for me?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Kokichi exclaimed, giving her a salute.

He quickly headed into the back room, poking around until he’d found some coffee beans.  He busied himself with the mindless task as he let his thoughts wander back to Shuichi, the loud sound of the coffee grinder providing white noise.

He couldn’t put his finger on exactly why, but Shuichi was interesting to Kokichi.  Something about him made him want to learn more. And it didn’t hurt that he was a really,  _ really _ pretty boy.  Kokichi chewed on his lip as he dumped the ground beans into a container.  He probably had a girlfriend, right? The thought made his stomach twist.

“Tch,” he mumbled, refilling the grinder.  Why would he care?  It’s not like he was looking to date him, right?

Oh, but how fun that might be…!

Kokichi smiled to himself.  It was settled. No matter how long he had to try, he was going to get Shuichi Saihara to go on a date with him.  It’s not that he necessarily had a crush on the boy, but the idea sounded entertaining to him. Something to keep him from getting bored in that quiet little coffee shop.  Like a game!  He knew it was probably a dick move to play with someone's feelings like that, but he highly doubted he'd be able to get Shuichi to agree anyways.

...And besides, being a dick was kind of his signature style, wasn't it?

Kokichi’s thoughts were interrupted by Kaede, who had poked her head in the door.  “Hey, Ouma-kun? I’ve gotta run out really quickly. Would you keep an eye on the shop for me?  It’ll just be like ten minutes.”

“You got it, boss lady!” he said, grinning at her.

“Thanks, you’re the best,” she sighed, retreating again.

Kokichi closed the containers he’d opened, setting them back on the shelves he’d gotten them from.  He unplugged the coffee grinder and put that away as well.  He sighed. Kaede was incredibly nice, and it was more than extremely generous of her to allow him to work there.  He didn’t want to mess it up.  Not too many people were very keen on offering him a job with his extensive (albeit mild) criminal record, so he really was shit out of luck if he got fired.  And besides that...  He didn't want to ruin things for Kaede.

“Alright, just a few minutes!” Kaede insisted as Kokichi emerged from the back.  

She was practically halfway out the door already.  Whatever it was she was doing must have been pretty urgent.  Kokichi hoped everything was okay.  She still looked as cheerful as ever, but that easily could have been a facade.  He would know, he was basically the best at covering up his feelings with a dumb, goofy grin, after all.

“See ya!” he called, though it was mostly to himself.  By the time he’d said it, she was out the door and walking down the street.

Kokichi watched her as she disappeared from view, checking to make sure she wasn’t coming back.  He wasn’t breaking the rules or anything. He just didn’t want her to know about his secret plan to steal Shuichi’s heart!

He looked at the shelves on the wall behind the counter, trying to decide which drink to bring Shuichi next.  Kaede had said he never ordered anything except black coffee. Kokichi thought that was incredibly boring, so he decided he’d have to try to spice things up for him.

Shuichi clearly hadn’t liked what he’d made him the last time, so he decided to make something less sweet.  He settled for some green tea that he’d seen Kaede make for herself earlier. He’d been able to smell it, and he thought Shuichi might like that instead, seeing as it was more bitter than the drink he’d made earlier, which was, admittedly, mostly milk.

Kokichi wasted no time in brewing the tea, waiting impatiently for it to steep as he stared at it.  He was sure Kaede would have said, ‘Watched cookies never bake!’ or something like that, but there wasn’t really anything else he could do.  After a few minutes of watching colour slowly seep into the water in the cup, he decided it was probably good enough.

Grabbing the paper cup, Kokichi snuck around the counter.  He watched the tea carefully, making sure not to spill it, as he made his way towards the back of the shop.  Shuichi was sitting in the same place he’d left him, though an abundance of papers were now scattered around him on the table and the arms of the chair.  Kokichi noticed that he’d finished the rest of the coffee, despite having clearly disliked it.  Was Shuichi just that kind of person…?

“Hey, Blueberry!” Kokichi called.

Shuichi looked up from a document he was scrutinising, meeting Kokichi’s gaze.  He sat up a little, setting the document on the table in front of him.  He’d put on a pair of glasses, probably to read, and Kokichi found himself thinking he looked like a big huge nerd.  A really cute, attractive nerd… But a nerd all the same.

“I brought you some tea!” Kokichi exclaimed, quickly recovering.  He was going to have to be careful. Shuichi was a detective, after all.  He’d probably see through his usual lies and cover ups easier than most people.

“Tea?” Shuichi asked, raising an eyebrow.  

“Yup!” Kokichi confirmed, popping the P at the end.  He set the cup down on the single clear spot on the table and plopped himself down in the other chair again.

Shuichi watched him for a moment.  He was examining the documents on the desk, eyes flicking all over the place as he took in whatever he could.  It wasn’t necessarily a problem. Confidentiality was important, but Shuichi didn’t currently have anything out that was to be kept from the public eye. 

He reached over and picked up the tea, taking a sip of it.  He wasn’t opposed to drinking tea.  He certainly liked it more than whatever Kokichi had given him earlier.  It was green tea, the one that Kaede liked, he noted.  He wasn’t sure if Kokichi had done that intentionally, but Shuichi found himself smiling about it anyways.

“So Akamatsu-chan said you’re like some super cool detective guy, yeah?” Kokichi said, breaking the silence.

“I don’t know that I’d call myself a super cool detective,” Shuichi said with a nervous laugh.  “I’m just a small time private investigator.”

“But she said you’ve cracked cold cases!” Kokichi insisted.  “A single guy beating the police force? That’s pretty impressive, Shumai.”

“I…  Thank you…” Shuichi said quietly, his gaze trained on the paper in front of him.  He was embarrassed that Kaede had told him that, but even more embarrassed that he’d brought it up.  He was humble, almost to a fault, so said Kaede, and he didn’t want to boast about it.

“But that’s, like, crazy!” Kokichi continued.  “The police must  _ hate _ you, right?  That they keep getting beat out by one loser guy that sits around in a coffee shop?”

Shuichi sighed, closing his eyes and slumping back into the chair.  “Are you always like this?” he asked.

“Like what?” Kokichi replied.  He looked at Shuichi with side eyes, tilting his head to the side like an innocent puppy.

“So…  So crass?” Shuichi said.

“Oh, you know.”  Kokichi gave him a wink.  Shuichi frowned.

“Um, no, actually, I don’t,” he said.  “That’s why I a-”

“And you never even answered my question!” Kokichi interrupted.  “Don’t the police like hate your guts?”

“They didn’t used to,” Shuichi said.  He took off his glasses, setting them on the table on top of a few papers.  “They wanted me to join them for a while.”

“Why didn’t you?” Kokichi asked.

Shuichi looked over to him.  The way he was draped across the chair sideways made it seem like he was still just teasing him, but his voice conveyed genuine interest.  “I don’t like their rules,” he said simply.

“Okay, edgelord,” Kokichi scoffed.  “As if you could be any sort of rebel.”

“Well, I was nearly expelled in high school,” Shuichi said with a shrug.

“You what.”

“I was investigating the principal,” he continued.  “He had committed some pretty serious crimes, but nobody had enough evidence to back it up.  It didn’t sit right with me, so I looked into it. I was suspended a few times, and they were going to expel me as well.”

“But then you dropped the truth on them and shocked them all!” Kokichi guessed, holding a finger up.  He looked excited.

“More or less,” Shuichi said with a shrug.

“Woowww,” Kokichi cooed.  “We got a real vigilante here, huh?  A real live Akira Kurusu,  _ huh? _ ”

“A real live… who?” 

“Oh my  _ god _ , Shumai, do you not play video games?” Kokichi groaned.  “How old are you? Fifty?”

“Twenty four.”

“Twenty four?!  What is wrong with you!”  Kokichi sat up in his chair, looking Shuichi dead in the eye.  “You mean to tell me you’re a real ass Millennial that doesn’t play video games?!”

“Is… there a problem with that?” Shuichi asked.  He wasn’t sure why Kokichi was so shocked. He was pretty sure Kaede didn’t play them either.  Was it really that big of a deal? Maybe Kokichi was younger than he thought… 

“Of course there is!” Kokichi cried.  He flopped backwards again, slumping down so that only his neck and head rested against the back of the chair.  Shuichi thought it looked rather uncomfortable.

“I’m… sorry?”  He didn’t really know how he was supposed to respond to that.

“So what do you even do with your free time?” Kokichi asked.  “Do you even have free time? I bet you don’t have free time. I bet you just go home and sleep.  Or work more? You seem like the workaholic type, but-”

Shuichi stared at him as he continued to ramble, a blank expression on his face.  He didn’t know what to think. Should he be offended? Should he try to answer his questions?  Should he just go back to work? With the way he was going on and on, Shuichi suspected he probably wouldn’t notice if he just started ignoring him.

“Hello?  Shumai? Earth to Saihara-chan!”

Or perhaps he already had been ignoring him.

“Sorry,” Shuichi mumbled.  “Did… Were you saying something?”

“Yeah!  I was sayin’ you should come over to my place sometime and play something with me!” he exclaimed.  “Something easy, like Mario Kart.” He snickered at the thought of Shuichi totally getting his ass kicked.

“Ah, I…”  Shuichi paused.  He would honestly rather perish than spend more time with Kokichi than whatever was necessary in the day time, but he didn’t want to hurt his feelings.  “I’m sorry, Ouma-kun, but I’m really busy. It’s like you said, I work most of the time. Especially with business picking up lately…”

Kokichi pouted.  He knew that was just Shuichi’s way of saying ‘absolutely not’.  But, he supposed that would have been too easy anyways.  And would that have even counted as a date?  Probably not. “Maybe you should hire some employees then, Mr. Detective Man,” he grumbled.  He kicked his legs up over the armrest, laying his head back on the other one and crossing his arms. 

“I work alone,” Shuichi told him.  He slipped his glasses back on and picked up the paper he’d been reading before Kokichi had interrupted him.

“Seriously?” Kokichi said, clearly unamused.  “Be careful or you'll cut yourself on that edge .  That was terrible, Blueberry-chan.”

Shuichi hummed, attempting to tune him out as he continued to read the same sentence over and over and over again, unable to focus.  He wasn’t usually so scatterbrained. Was it Kokichi’s fault?

“But taking on all that work by yourself must be tiresome, right?” Kokichi continued.  Either he didn’t notice that Shuichi was trying to get back to work, or he didn’t care.

“I manage,” Shuichi said dismissively.

“You do  _ everything _ by yourself?  Are you a lawyer too?”

“No.”

“So then what?  Are these people just satisfied with an answer?  Does nobody want to go to court?”

“They don’t always need to.”

“And what about when they do?”  Kokichi had shifted again, sitting on the edge of his chair and leaning over the table towards Shuichi.

“Then I refer them to a lawyer.”  Shuichi was still stuck on the same sentence of the document he had been at the beginning of the conversation.  He was trying his best to not get distracted by the unwavering gaze Kokichi had set on his face.

“But that lawyer doesn’t work with you?  So what, are you guys like pals or something?  Go to law school together? I thought you didn’t have any friends.”

Shuichi closed his eyes for a moment, halfheartedly throwing the paper back down onto the table.  “You’re the one that assumed I didn’t have any friends,” Shuichi reminded him. “He’s more of an acquaintance anyways.  I have faith in his work, and he has faith in mine. We don’t… We don’t like ‘hang out’ or whatever.”

“Ew, never say ‘hang out’ again,” Kokichi said with a grimace.  Shuichi gave him an exasperated look. “We may be the same age but you act like some kind of grandpa!” he explained.

Shuichi faltered for a moment.  ‘The same age’? So Kokichi  _ wasn’t _ far younger than him.  He just looked and acted like it.  “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Don’t kids our age say ‘hang out’?” 

“Point and case,” Kokichi said, giving him an unamused stare.  Shuichi frowned. He still didn’t understand what he’d done wrong.  “Alright grandpa, I’ll leave you to your crosswords,” he sighed.

“Thanks,” Shuichi mumbled.  He was too sick of him to say anything more.

Kokichi stood up and stretched, raising his arms above his head and yawning dramatically.  Shuichi rolled his eyes and picked up the paper for what he hoped would be the final time. Kokichi began to slink away, but paused just as he was about to round the corner.

“Just don’t overwork yourself.  Kay, Saihara-chan?” 

Shuichi looked up to where he’d been standing, but Kokichi had already disappeared again.  He stared at the wall where he’d stopped for a few moments, as if he’d pop back out and say something more.  But of course he didn’t. He cast his gaze to the floor. Perhaps Kokichi wasn’t as bad as he made himself seem.

Trying to push the thought aside, Shuichi settled back into working on his case.  He hoped Kokichi wouldn’t bother him too much more.  Though, as he re-read the autopsy report, he couldn’t help but let his mind wander back to the boy.  Why had he come to bring him drinks?  Was Kaede busy?  Had Kokichi insisted?  Was it another one of Kaede’s ploys to get him to have more friends?

He squeezed his eyes shut, running a hand through his hair.  It didn’t matter.  What mattered was the case in front of him.  The case that some incredibly upset parents desperately wanted him to solve.  And he had to, if he wanted to be paid.  So he forced himself to shut out any remaining thoughts of Kokichi and get back to work.

Kokichi slid behind the counter just as Kaede was walking back through the door.  Her cheeks were a bit flushed, but that was probably from the nippy mid-winter air.  Kokichi didn’t pay her much attention as he grabbed a napkin from the dispenser on the counter and pulled the pen out from his apron pocket.

“Everything alright while I was gone?” Kaede asked.  She quickly joined Kokichi behind the counter and slipped on an apron, setting her purse in the back room.

“Yep,” Kokichi said.  It was his turn to be dismissive.

“How was Shuichi?”

“Boring as ever,” Kokichi sighed, hunching over the counter to scribble something on the napkin.

“I see.  Are you working on something?” she asked.  She didn’t try to look, as she didn’t want to pry.

“It’s nothing~!” Kokichi said with a grin, turning to look at her and shoving the napkin into his pocket.  He knew it looked suspicious, and he knew Kaede knew he was up to something, but he wasn’t about to just outright tell her.

“Okay,” she said simply.

Kokichi watched, a little surprised, as she got back to work rearranging the display they had out to make up for the items they’d sold.  It wasn’t often that people trusted him enough not to pry about what he was doing.  It had startled him.  He turned away, trying to hide a smile.  Kaede really was something else… Something too good for him.

Kokichi sat down on a stool, resting his chin in his hand, elbow on the counter.  He was going to have to get Shuichi to like him somehow.  It was pretty obvious that at that moment, Shuichi was mostly just annoyed with him.  That had to change.

But how was he supposed to do that?  He’d said it himself, Shuichi’s whole personality was basically ‘work’.  He didn’t know anything about detective work, other than what he saw on some of those dumb cop dramas his roommate watched in university.  He had gotten fairly well acquainted with the law, but he couldn’t start up a conversation with a private investigator by saying, ‘Hey! At this time last year, I was being accused of vandalising the Imperial Palace!’  It  _ had _ been him, of course, but it would be even  _ worse _ to admit  _ that _ .

Maybe he could ask Kaede?  He snuck a glance at her.  She was holding a bottle of strawberry milk, an extremely serious expression on her face.  Kokichi raised an eyebrow.  He watched as she went to put it down, shook her head, and then went to put it down again, only to stand back with it still in her hand.  Was it really that important where the last bottle of strawberry milk was?  Kaede had weird priorities.

No, he didn’t want to rely on Kaede.  He’d only known her for a few days, but she seemed like the kind of person that would want to get involved.  He was sure her intentions would be great, and she probably  _ would _ be a help, but she might think he was being serious with all of it.  He didn’t want his ass kicked because she thought he was really in love with Shuichi or something corny like that.

He thought it would be best to leave Shuichi alone for the rest of the day.  He  _ had _ seemed rather irritated with him when he’d left him a few minutes earlier.  Kokichi felt a  _ tiny _ bit guilty.  He  _ was _ trying to work, after all, and he’d only been distracting him.   _ ‘It’s for his own good,’ _ Kokichi tried to tell himself.

Sticking to his decision, Kokichi didn’t try to strike up conversation again for almost the rest of his shift.  Kaede had sent him to go bring him coffee a handful of times, which he delivered quickly and wordlessly.  Something different every time, of course.  He wasn’t  _ that _ respectful.

Shuichi found himself wondering if he’d done something to hurt Kokichi’s feelings when the boy delivered him a mocha without a single word.  Not even when Shuichi had thanked him did he offer anything more than a nod.  He  _ had _ been a little rude to try and ignore him while he was talking to him…  But it didn’t seem like Kokichi had cared?  Maybe he’d misjudged the situation.  Or maybe Kaede had just told him to stop bothering him.

In either case, it was admittedly a huge relief that Kokichi was keeping his mouth shut.  Shuichi was able to refocus on his case, covering ground and beginning to piece together the puzzle of the homicide.  It seemed to be turning out as simple as he’d thought it was. 

The autopsy reported the cause of death was blood loss, caused by multiple stab wounds to the abdomen.  The knife belonging to the suspect was found at the scene of the crime and was left in the victim’s body.  The coroner had determined that it had been the object to inflict the fatal wound, making it the murder weapon.  That would prove to be an underappreciated piece of evidence if the family was to take the case to court.

The knife belonging to the suspect was the reason he was a suspect in the first place.  It had been purchased in his name, and he had admitted it was his as well.  A pretty damning piece of evidence in the eyes of most people.  It seemed to almost everybody that the case was truly that simple.  Shuichi was hired to prove that it  _ was _ that simple.  However, he wasn’t fully convinced.

One of the reasons Shuichi had chosen to become a private investigator rather than a police detective or a lawyer was because he could search for the truth and declare it so.  He didn’t have to twist words in order to convince people of a lie.  He didn’t have to remain unbiased or back off when the police chief told him to.  He was going to find the truth and present it to his clients, no matter how much they liked it or not.

By the next time Kokichi had returned, Shuichi felt like he’d taken three steps back.  He was even more convinced that the original suspect was not the guilty party. He barely mumbled a ‘thanks’ as Kokichi set a drink down in front of him.  He hadn’t paid him any mind until he took a sip and it was cold.  He’d brought him iced coffee.

Shuichi blinked, looking around for Kokichi.  For him to seem so enthusiastic about talking to him and then suddenly not saying a word was a little strange.  He certainly didn’t mind the peace and quiet, but he felt even more like he’d done something wrong.  He took a break from his case for a few moments, contemplating if he should apologise.  After deciding that he would the next time Kokichi came around, he set back to work.

Unfortunately, the next time Kokichi stopped by to bring him another drink, Shuichi had headphones in, listening to a recording of a phone call, his face so close to a paper he couldn’t see anything else.  He hadn’t even noticed Kokichi put the cup down until it was far too late, and the hot chocolate was lukewarm.

Shuichi was fairly certain he could prove the original suspect innocent by the time Kokichi made another appearance.  He was in the midst of thinking something through when the boy returned again, setting something down that smelled suspiciously of lemonade.

“Ah, Ouma-kun!” Saihara called, immediately abandoning his train of thought.

“Oh?  Does my beloved Saihara-chan want my attention?” he asked, turning around with a smug smirk on his face.

“I…  Your beloved Saihara-chan?” Shuichi echoed with total deadpan look on his face.  Perhaps he’d been wrong about hurting Kokichi’s feelings.  Maybe it was all just an act to get him to give him attention without provocation.

“Nishishi!  You heard me,” Kokichi said with a grin.

Shuichi sighed.  Even if that was the case, he still felt bad about how he’d treated the boy earlier.  “I just wanted to apologise,” he said quietly, nudging his glasses up his nose a little.  “For earlier. I shouldn’t have ignored you like that, it was rude.”

“You’re right!  It was!”

…

“Huh?”

“I said you’re right!” Kokichi repeated.  “It  _ was _ rude!  You said it first, why are you acting so surprised?”

“I… just…”  Shuichi struggled to come up with an answer.  “Don’t people usually, like, say, ‘it’s okay’ or disagree with you?”

“Well that’s dumb,” Kokichi said.  “Because it’s  _ not _ okay.  And you  _ were _ being rude.  That’s why you apologised, right?”

“That’s-  I-” He was right, of course, and it was making Shuichi sound like a jerk.

“Only teasing!” Kokichi said with a snicker.  He was back to smiling, folding his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner.  “I knew you were busy, so I decided to leave you alone! Besides, I was annoying you on purpose earlier.”

“Now I think  _ you _ owe  _ me _ an apology,” Shuichi sighed, slumping down in his chair.  It didn’t seem like he should even try with Kokichi.

“Nope!  I don’t think so!” Kokichi disagreed.  The smile never left his face. “Now get back to work, you smelly detective!”

Shuichi watched as Kokichi pranced away, happy as ever.  He supposed he was glad he hadn’t hurt his feelings or anything, but something about his whole demeanor seemed fake.  Overdramatized.  Or maybe he really just was that melodramatic…?  It was hard to say.  He supposed he’d have all the time in the world to figure it out later.

He was about to get back to work when he realised that Kokichi had called him smelly.  With a frown, he sniffed the sleeve of his shirt. He’d just washed it the night before, and he’d showered that morning, she he shouldn’t have smelled bad.  Concluding that Kokichi had just said that to get under his skin, he settled back into his chair to continue his investigation where he’d left off.

Shuichi was quickly finding that the more he investigated the case, the less sure he was about the culprit.  Things began to unravel like a murder mystery thriller in front of him, taking twists and turns he hadn’t expected in the slightest.  He was surprised at how well thought out and executed the murder had been.  Not what he thought would come of some simple couple wanting him to tell them what happened to their daughter.

He was so absorbed in following a trail, that he almost didn’t notice Kokichi sitting down across from him again.  He honestly probably would have ignored him, had it not been for Kokichi speaking up after a few moments.

“I’m off for the day now, Saihara-chan,” he said in his usual sing-song voice.  “Is my darling detective going to miss me?”

“No,” Shuichi said bluntly.  He looked from one of his documents to another, and then back to the first, but didn’t spare a glance at Kokichi.

“No?!” he cried.  “You wound me!” He gripped his chest, feigning pain before standing back up.  “Whatever! Not like I care about a stinky loser like you anyways~” he teased. “I just came by to bring you your last drink.  Sayonara, Saihara!”

Shuichi looked up to thank him, but Kokichi was already halfway across the coffee shop again.  He watched as the boy disappeared from sight, the wall that blocked the alcove in obscuring his view.

He turned back to the table, glancing at the drink Kokichi had brought him.  He raised an eyebrow when he caught sight of it. Reaching out to grab it, he took a hesitant sip and was pleasantly surprised.  It seemed that Kokichi had decided to have mercy on him at the end of his shift and had brought him black coffee.

Shuichi’s head turned towards the door as he heard it creak open, the little chime Kaede had put on it jingling as it did so.  He only caught the back of Kokichi’s head as he walked out, the door swinging shut behind him again. His gaze lingered, a small subconscious part of him wishing that Kokichi would walk back in so he could properly thank him.  But after a few minutes, he looked back towards his work.

He was about to get back into it when he noticed something written on the side of the white disposable cup.  He contemplated ignoring it, but his natural curiosity got the better of him.  He reached over and rotated the cup a bit, revealing a set of numbers hastily scrawled onto the side - Kokichi’s phone number.

Shuichi wasn’t quite sure how he was supposed to respond.

Or rather, he wasn’t quite sure how he  _ wanted _ to respond.  Obviously the goal Kokichi had been aiming for was a call from Shuichi, but Shuichi was unfortunately not too keen on indulging him.  With a roll of his eyes, he simply set the cup back down on the table, intent on ignoring it for the rest of the day.

Shuichi continued to make a lot of forward progress on his case throughout the day.  However, despite that, he seemed to be getting farther and farther away from an answer.  It was frustrating to him. Every new development felt… almost staged.  Almost planned.  Like some sort of drama on TV.

By the time he began to pack up his stuff for the night, Maki had already emerged from the loft to start her shift.  He placed all of his documents and his laptop back into his bag carefully, making sure not to leave anything behind.  One time he’d accidentally knocked a paper under the chair, and he hadn’t noticed until the next day.  Thankfully, nobody else had either.

After triple checking that he hadn’t dropped anything, he picked up the stack of cups that had accumulated on the table in Kokichi’s absence.  He stretched briefly, then made his way over to the garbage can across the alcove. He was just about to toss the cups in when he caught sight of Kokichi’s number again.  He briefly considered at least putting it into his phone - just in case, ya know? - but tossed it into the garbage in the end.

“Have a good night,” he said to Maki. 

“You too,” she mumbled.

Shuichi let the door slam behind him, thoughts of his case and Kokichi swirling around in his mind.  He took a deep breath, trying to ignore it. He’d have the next day to sort it all out. He just wanted to go home and sleep.

… 

Or maybe have just  _ one _ more cup of coffee… 


	2. Day Two

“Mornin’, Shumai!”

Shuichi’s eye twitched slightly as Kokichi’s voice cut through the quiet atmosphere of the coffee shop.  He hadn’t been able to sleep well the night before, his curiosity about the case plaguing him throughout the night.  He’d ended up staying up late, pouring over the case until he’d fallen asleep at his kitchen table.  Needless to say, he was low on both energy and patience.  If he’d learned anything the day before, that didn’t seem like a good combination for dealing with Kokichi.

“Good morning,” Shuichi mumbled, walking past him without a sideways glance.

Kokichi’s face fell almost instantly.  Shuichi hadn’t looked or sounded all too pleased to see him.  He knew he’d never called him the night before - he hadn’t even bothered to text - but he had kind of hoped Shuichi just hadn’t seen the number he’d left on the cup.  However, it seemed as if he really was just fed up with him…

“That must be a new record,” he sighed to himself.  He was used to it.  Annoying people, that is.  Everybody got upset with him in the end. (Usually it was at least a _few_ days though…)  Honestly, he couldn’t blame them.  Most of the time he did it on purpose.  Pushed all their buttons until he drove them away.  Every time it stung, but he could never bring himself to stop.  It was impulsive, almost.  So he pretended that he enjoyed it.

“A new record?”

Kokichi’s eyes snapped back up from the countertop.  Shuichi was still standing in front of him, staring at him with a sleepy gaze.  He noticed then that he had dark circles under his eyes, and more than just that silly stubborn piece of hair at the top of his head was sticking up.  Had he… slept?

“Damn, Saihara-chan, I think you need a nap,” Kokichi teased instead of answering his question.

Shuichi watched him for a moment more, exhausted brain trying to decide if it was worth it to point out his obvious aversion of the question.  “...Yeah,” he said quietly, deciding not to.

“Do you want something to drink, or…?”

“Just coffee, please,” he said, turning away to begin walking towards the alcove.

“Yeah, you need it,” Kokichi said with a laugh.  “Black?”

Shuichi didn’t reply at first, a little shocked that he had even bothered to ask in the first place.  “Surprise me,” he sighed in what may have been a lapse of judgement.

Kokichi didn’t say anything, but raised an eyebrow as he watched Shuichi shuffle to the back of the shop, disappearing behind the wall that blocked in the alcove.  He looked as if he might pass out at any moment.  Kokichi hadn’t seen him eat anything the previous day either...  Despite the fact that he told himself he wasn’t going to care about Shuichi, not for real, anyways, he found himself worrying that he wasn’t taking care of himself.

Kokichi absentmindedly made Shuichi a mocha and grabbed a yogurt parfait out of the refrigerator for him as well.  He figured he’d probably like that more than any of the pastries they sold.  Abandoning his place at the counter, he carefully made his way over to Shuichi’s table.

He found the boy sitting in the same chair he had been the day before, staring blankly at the table in front of him.  His bag was in his lap, and he hadn’t bothered to pull anything out of it yet.  He almost looked possessed.  Maybe Kokichi had been right to be concerned…

“Hey!  Earth to Blueberry-chan!” Kokichi called, setting the cups down in front of him and waving a hand in front of his face.

“Huh-?!”  Shuichi jumped, blinking a few times before looking up at Kokichi with wide eyes.  “Oh, sorry…” he mumbled.  “Just… spaced out there for a minute, I guess.”

“Careful, or you might fall asleep in the middle of something important!” Kokichi warned with a mischievous laugh.  “Who knows what would happen if I were to catch you~”

“You’d probably draw a moustache on me with a Sharpie,” Shuichi sighed, picking up the coffee.  He was a little surprised to taste chocolate, but not immediately recoil at the sweetness of it.

“Pretty good, huh?” Kokichi said.  He was smirking triumphantly.  “It’s my special recipe!”  He’d purposely gotten bitter dark chocolate just for Shuichi, leaving out the sugar for him as well.

“Yeah, it’s nice,” Shuichi told him.  It sounded dismissive, but the way he sunk back a little farther into the couch and continued to sip it was enough satisfaction for Kokichi.

“Well…  Let me know if I can getcha anything, alright?” Kokichi said, turning to leave.  He had been intent on bothering him some more, but he had decided to have a little mercy on him the moment he saw Shuichi walk in looking so exhausted.

“Oh, actually-!”

Kokichi turned back around quickly, raising an eyebrow at Shuichi.  He was leaning forward slightly, hand outstretched towards him.  He sounded urgent, as if his request had been important.

“Yeah?”

Shuichi hesitated.  He hadn’t really needed anything.  He wasn’t quite sure why he called out to Kokichi in the first place.  Maybe a part of him wanted the boy to stay.  It would have been an excuse for him to put off working for a few more minutes…  But… no.  No way.  There was no way that was the case.

“Uhh…”  Panicking a little, he glanced down at the table.  “A- A spoon!” he cried a little too enthusiastically.  “Y-Yeah, a spoon…”

“A… spoon,” Kokichi echoed.  His face fell visibly, but he recovered so quickly Shuichi dismissed it as his tired brain playing tricks on him.  “Right! Wow, I’m such a moron!  Forgetting to bring you a spoon.  Duh!”

“You’re not a moron,” Shuichi said quietly.

Kokichi stiffened.  He stared at Shuichi with wide eyes, mouth hanging slightly open.  He was taken by so much surprise he was unable to cover up his shock like he usually did.  Shuichi stared back up at him, eyes half closed and brows slightly furrowed.

“Did I say something?” he asked when Kokichi didn’t reply.

“N-No!” Kokichi cried, brought back to his senses at Shuichi’s inquiry.  “Nope!”  He flashed a smirk at him.  “Of course I know I’m not a moron, moron!”

Shuichi raised an eyebrow.  It was clear he was lying, something he was beginning to suspect he did a lot of.  However, before he could even decide if he wanted to call him out on it, Kokichi was prancing away towards the front of the store again to get him the spoon he’d asked for.

He sighed, setting his coffee cup down on the table and sinking back into the chair.  He closed his eyes, trying to sort out all his thoughts.  He had to work on the case, he knew that, but his brain was foggy and all he could think about was Kokichi, especially his reaction when he’d said he wasn’t a moron.

Why had he seemed so shocked?  Was it because he wasn’t expecting that from him?  He... didn't think he'd been  _that_ hostile the previous day.  Or was he just that unused to being shown a little decency?  His personality _was_ pretty abrasive, so it would make sense for him to not have many friends, but…

He was probably overthinking it.  Kaede said he did that a lot.

Kokichi quickly pulled a spoon out of the container they held them in on the front counter.  His hands were shaking, and he was clearly flustered.  Kaede raised an eyebrow when he scuttled away again, avoiding eye contact.  His body language made it obvious that he didn’t want to talk to her, so she let him go without bothering him.

_‘Deep breaths,’_ Kokichi told himself as he walked back towards the alcove.  He didn’t know why he was panicking so much.  It was stupid, wasn’t it?  He hadn’t even said anything all that nice.  That’s… how people were expected to respond, right?  Would he even know?

“Here’s your-”  Kokichi stopped suddenly as he rounded the corner, catching sight of Shuichi slumped over in the chair, eyes closed and snoring softly.

Kokichi didn’t mean to stare, but the way Shuichi’s face had turned so peaceful entranced him.  His absurdly long eyelashes…  The way his chest gently rose and fell as he slept…  The way his lips were slightly parted…  It was something almost beautiful.  Was that creepy?  Was he a creep for thinking that?  He definitely was.  Only weirdos watched other people sleep.

Shaking his head, he grabbed the coffee and the parfait and brought them back to the front of the shop.  Kaede watched as he pulled out a Sharpie from his pocket, wrote Shuichi’s name on the yogurt, and stuck it back inside the fridge with the spoon sitting on top of the lid.

“He didn’t want it?” Kaede asked.  She knew Shuichi liked them, and even more importantly that he was usually far too polite to refuse something if it was given to  him.

“He fell asleep,” Kokichi mumbled.  He poured the coffee out of the cup and tossed it into a nearby garbage can.

“Good,” Kaede sighed, shaking her head.  “He needs a rest.”

Kokichi hummed in agreement, though he didn’t say anything more.  Kaede couldn’t help but wonder if something was wrong when he didn’t offer his usual chatter or biting comment.  She watched in curiosity as Kokichi disappeared up into the loft, not appearing again for quite a few minutes.  She couldn’t hear any yelling or banging though, so at least she knew he wasn’t bothering Maki too much.

He returned a few moments later with a blanket, rushing down the stairs and making a beeline towards Shuichi.  Kaede continued to watch with amusement, beginning to get an idea of what exactly was going on.  It didn’t take a talented private investigator to figure out that Kokichi had taken an interest in Shuichi.  Though she had pretended not to notice Kokichi scrawling out his number on the cup the day before, she thought it was pretty apparent.

Kokichi tossed the blanket out on top of Shuichi and turned to go, intent on leaving it thrown haphazardly on top of him.  But after taking a few steps, he quickly changed his mind.  Adjusting it so that everything but his head was covered nicely, he took a step back and frowned.

His chest tightened a bit as he stared at the boy again.  Kokichi shook his head, running his hands through his hair.  He just thought he was cute, that’s all.  And besides, he _was_ trying to be… at least a slightly better person.  That’s the only reason he’d gotten him a blanket. Not because he _cared_.

He couldn’t afford to do that.

With a slap of his cheeks to clear his mind, Kokichi spun on his heel and walked back to the front counter with the normal spring in his step.  He was thankful to find that Kaede wasn’t watching him anymore - he’d been able to feel her eyes on him - but was taking somebody’s order.

Kokichi leaned against the back of the counter, hand resting on his chin as he contemplated what he should do.  He’d had a plan for the day, of course, but it had all been thrown out the window the second he saw Shuichi snoozing on the chair.  He couldn’t wake him, obviously, but that also meant he wouldn’t be able to talk to him…

“Hey,” Kaede said softly, snapping Kokichi out of his thoughts.

“Yeah?”  Kokichi straightened up a little bit, looking over to Kaede, who had just handed a latte to an impatient looking woman now rushing out the door.  “Need me to do something?”

“No, nothing like that,” she told him with a smile.  “I just wanted to know what you thought of Saihara-kun.”

“Oh?  Why’s that?” Kokichi asked, leaning towards her.  “Want me to be the ring bearer at your wedding or somethin’?”

Kaede laughed, bubbly and light, and it was like a little weight was taken off of Kokichi’s shoulders.  She didn’t know the effect just her presence had on other people. She looked back over to him and he gave her a big grin in return.

“Of course not,” Kaede said.

“I dunno…  Sounds suspicious!” Kokichi teased, though he knew full well that she was being genuine.  He leaned towards her a little more with a self satisfied smirk on his face.

“Saihara-kun doesn’t swing that way,” Kaede returned, leaning towards him a bit as well and mirroring his look.

Kokichi’s eyes grew slightly wider, just enough for Kaede to take notice, before he quickly pulled back and gave her a little more of a hostile grin, arms crossed in front of him.  Thoughts were racing through his head, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest.  He hoped Kaede couldn’t see through his persona.

“Bet you wish he did though, Akamatsu-chan,” he spit, a lot more venom to his tone than he had wanted.  He’d unintentionally laid it on thick in a panic to distract from his own discomfort.

Kaede blinked, a little surprised at his slight change in attitude, but nonetheless remained patient with him.  “Maybe in junior high,” she said with another laugh.

“O-kay, if you say so...” Kokichi drawled, recovering quickly.  “But to answer your question, I think Shuichi is kind of a loser.  He’s just a workaholic. That’s like his whole personality!”

Kaede paused, as if thinking about his answer for a moment.  “Alright, now this time answer me without lying about it,” she requested, looking away from him and idly wiping down the counter.

Silence filled the air between them.  Kokichi stared at Kaede with a small frown on his face.  She’d seen right through his fib with complete confidence.  His gaze fell to the floor.  He couldn't tell her the whole truth.  It's not like she'd be angry, but she  _would_ be upset, and while Kokichi could take someone yelling at him, he didn't think he wanted to see the look of disappointment Kaede was bound to give him if she knew what he was up to.

Kaede continued messing around with things on the counter, straightening out the napkin dispenser or recentering the signs on the display.  She thought if she tried to look distracted, Kokichi might feel more comfortable.  The silence had gone on for so long she was sure he just wasn’t going to answer her.  He was so light on his feet that he might have even slipped away.  She was surprised to hear him speak up, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

“He’s interesting.”

It wasn’t what she had been expecting.  She thought he’d say something about him being cool because of his detective work, or maybe that he just thought he was cute or something.  Followed, of course, by some Kokichi-esque snarky comment to top it off.  But it was a short answer, and a sincere one at that.

“What,” Kokichi said, frowning at Kaede as she turned to stare at him.  “It’s not that I like that soggy walnut,” he said, waving his hand in front of his face.  “He’s just interesting, ya know?  Not good, not bad.  Just interesting.”

Kaede hummed.  “Still… It almost seems like a compliment coming from you,” she said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Kokichi cried, all signs of vulnerability gone in an instant.  “I am _great_ at giving compliments.  You’re so meeeaaan, Akamatsu-chan!”

“I bet you couldn’t give a sincere compliment if your life depended on it,” she said, shaking her head.  She was smiling, indicating to Kokichi that she wasn’t being serious.

“Uh, yeah I could!” he argued, pouting a little bit.  “Like, the latte you made me when I came in for my job interview was suuuper good!  Nice and sweet, just how I like it!  You made it pretty much perfectly.”

“Thanks, Ouma-kun,” Kaede said softly.  It hadn’t been very thoughtful praise, but she had a feeling that it would be a while before she got Kokichi to drop his act for her again.  And besides, he had at least sounded genuine.

“Told you I could do it,” he boasted, as if it were something he should be proud of.  And he was, just a little bit.  It had made Kaede smile, and he wanted to hold onto the feeling of finally saying something right for once.

Maybe he should try giving Shuichi a compliment.  A real one, not just calling him a snazzy detective guy.  As Kaede moved her focus to the customer that had just entered, he slipped away from the counter and back to where Shuichi was still fast asleep.  

He hadn’t moved at all since Kokichi had seen him last.  Apparently he wasn’t a restless sleeper, something that Kokichi couldn’t relate to.  Kokichi, when he slept at all, usually woke up with his bed sheets on the floor and his feet where his head should be.  He was sure that’d really annoy Shuichi if they were to share a bed...

Wait.

“Pull yourself together!” Kokichi hissed at himself, falling into the seat across from Shuichi.

He pulled out a pad of purple sticky notes - purple was kind of his thing - and the Sharpie from his apron pocket.  He sat there for a few moments, marker hovering over the paper, but he couldn’t think of anything to write.  He glanced up at Shuichi.  Maybe that would help him think of something?

He groaned, sinking further into the chair.  And what was he going to write? _‘You have incredibly pretty eyelashes’_ ?   _‘Your hair looks so soft…  I want to run my hands through it forever’_ ?   _‘The way you mumble in your sleep is actually kind of endearing’_?  No.  Absolutely not.  Looking at him wasn’t going to help at all.

Kokichi squeezed his eyes shut.  What would be something Shuichi would like to see?  What had he responded positively to the day before?  Kokichi realised with a sinking stomach that all he’d really done thus far was annoy him.

Finally, after ten minutes of thinking, rethinking, and overthinking, he settled on something.  He’d gone through at least fifteen sticky notes, most of them crumpled up and shoved back into his pocket.  He still wasn’t sure if Shuichi would appreciate it at all, or if he’d just think he was weird, but it was worth a shot, right?

With a deep breath, he stuck the single sticky note on the table in front of Shuichi.  Hopefully he wouldn’t even wake until long after Kokichi’s shift had ended.  Save him the mortification.  Unfortunately, Lady Luck wasn’t exactly on his side that day.

  


Shuichi sighed, shifting slightly on the chair and snuggling into the blanket on top of him.  He was warm and cozy, and he found himself wishing he’d never have to move again.  Just as he was on the cusp of falling back asleep, something tickled his nose.

He blinked fully awake, realising with a sickening feeling of dread that he’d fallen asleep before he could even open his bag.  He didn't even want to begin thinking about how much time he probably lost.  Confusion quickly settled in as he noticed that someone had brought him a blanket.  He fell asleep at the coffee shop every once in a while, but nobody had ever bothered to do that before.

With the feeling of an oncoming sneeze, Shuichi suddenly remembered what had stirred him from his slumber in the first place.  Reaching up, he plucked a purple sticky note off of his top lip.  He was met with a crudely drawn moustache as he flipped it around.  He smiled to himself, recalling what he’d said to Kokichi shortly before falling asleep.

Shuichi sat up, stretching briefly before removing the blanket and folding it neatly over the back of the chair.  He stood up to go grab some coffee when he noticed another sticky note on the table in front of him.  Raising a brow, he picked it up, wondering what kind of nonsense Kokichi wanted to bother him with that time.

_Remember to take care of yourself._

He just stared at it for a few moments, taking a minute to process what it said.  He felt a little bad, having assumed it was going to be some insignificant insult, but instead getting what seemed like actual concern for his well being.  It seemed that Kokichi was a lot kinder of a person than he cared to let on, something that Kaede had probably noticed from the moment she met him.

Smiling a little to himself, Shuichi folded up the sticky notes together and put them in the pocket of his dress shirt.  Maybe he shouldn’t be so hard on Kokichi.  He did seem like he was making quite the effort to be friends.  Whether or not he had an ulterior motive remained to be seen.  But even Kokichi deserved a chance, he supposed.

“Have a nice nap?” Kaede asked as Shuichi wandered up to the counter.

“Yeah, I did, thanks,” he said, glancing at the clock on the wall and noting with relief that it was only a little past noon.

“Oh?  Is Sleeping Beauty finally awake?”

Shuichi’s gaze snapped over to the door to the back room.  Kokichi was sticking his head out, a little smirk on his face.  He seemed just as mildly irritating as usual, so Shuichi decided not to bring up the note he’d left him.

“I was beginning to think that I, as your Prince Charming and true love, was gonna have to come kiss you awake!  Neeheehee!”

“I’d rather die, thanks,” Shuichi grumbled.

Kokichi laughed again, thankfully not seeming to take offense.  “Yeesh, Saihara-chan!  Grumpy when he gets up, huh?  Get that weenie some caffeine!”

“Hey-!”

Before Shuichi could argue, Kokichi disappeared back behind the door, letting it close behind him.  Shuichi sighed.  It probably wasn’t worth it in the first place anyways.  Arguing with Kokichi didn’t ever seem to be worth the while.

“You two been getting along?” Kaede asked.  She set a cup of coffee in front of Shuichi, who took it gratefully.

“I guess,” he said.  He took a sip of the coffee and instantly regretted the decision, burning his tongue on it.

“You guess?” Kaede echoed, laughing at the face he had made.

“He’s just so…”  Shuichi paused, trying to think of a word to use that wasn’t an insult.  “Overbearing?”  Good enough.  Kaede only hummed in response, so he continued.  “But it feels insincere. He’s the one that brought me the blanket, isn’t he?” 

“Yep!” Kaede said with a smile.  “You see it too, don’t you?” she asked.  

Shuichi broke eye contact with her, suddenly becoming very interested in the pattern of granite on the countertop.  “Sometimes when I say things… he falters for a moment.  But he always denies it.  It’s like he’s… afraid.  I didn’t want to say anything.  I thought I was just overthinking things again.  And besides, it’s not like I know him.  At first I thought I knew that he’d be nothing but an annoyance, but now…  I don’t know what to think anymore.”

Kokichi choked on his breath as he sat by the door, listening in on their conversation.  His intent had been to learn a little more about Shuichi, but clearly he’d gotten more than he bargained for.

His chest hurt.  His heart ached.  Shuichi and Kaede…  They could see through him so easily.  And who were they to do such a thing?!  Especially Shuichi; he’d only known him for a day and a half! ...Maybe he was less talented of a liar than he thought?  It had never occurred to him until then that maybe people _did_ notice.  Maybe they just hadn’t cared enough to say anything.

“But you _could_ ,” Kaede said, interrupting his thoughts.  “Get to know him, that is.”  Shuichi didn’t reply to her.  “It seems to me that he needs someone to be there for him,” she continued.  “I think we should try our best to be those people for him.”

“Leave it to you to play hero,” Shuichi sighed, and Kokichi felt his stomach twist.  

Kokichi sighed quietly.  He’d screwed it up again, hadn’t he?  He _would_ .  He’d have to try a little harder to keep them out.  That _is_ what he wanted, after all, wasn’t it?  To keep them out?

After a long pause, Shuichi spoke up again.  “But I agree.  I can’t be as patient and understanding as you, but… I can try.”

_No.  That’s not what he wanted._

Kokichi realised with despair that he was in it for more than just the job.  In the couple weeks he’d known Kaede, she’d shown him more kindness than anybody else had in his life combined.  And he was confident that Shuichi was the same.  Kokichi was an _excellent_ judge of character, if he did say so himself.

Even though he said he wasn’t going to get involved… he found himself wanting to anyways.  He _wanted_ to be friends with them, _really_  be friends with them.  It was very suddenly more than just a game.  Was it… normal to feel like that?  Was that how everybody felt all the time when they were making new friends?  All he ever knew how to do was hide behind his mask of lies and indifference.

With a shake of his head, Kokichi stood up and moved away from the door, going back to the job he was supposed to be doing anyways.  He shouldn’t worry about it.  It would get easier with time or something cheesy like that, right?  Best to mull it over when he got home.

“Good!” Kaede exclaimed, giving Shuichi a smile.  “So how’s your case going?”

Shuichi relaxed, glad for a change of subject.  He hadn’t realised he’d tensed up.  “It’s complicated,” he sighed, rubbing his eyes.  God.  He’d nearly forgotten about it.

“Well!  You’ve gotten some sleep and a cup of coffee, so I’m sure looking at it with fresh eyes will do you good,” Kaede said.  “I know you can work it out, Shuichi.  You always do.”

“Thanks, Kaede,” he said, finally returning her smile.  He got up, stretching a little.  “Speaking of which, I should get to work on that.”

“Good luck!” she called as he began to return to his chair.

Shuichi took a deep breath, pulling out his laptop along with the case file.  He could worry about Kokichi later.  Or when somebody was paying him to do so.  The more pressing matter of his unsolved case was still looming over his head.  Time to get to work. 

 

Kokichi found Shuichi hunched over the table, brows furrowed and hand buried in his hair.  He was looking at a document, but his stare was blank.  He wasn’t reading, but rather he was deep in thought.  He looked _stressed_.

“Tough case?” Kokichi asked, setting a cup of tea in front of him and plunking himself down in the seat across from Shuichi.

“Yeah,” Shuichi sighed.  He leaned back and slouched over in the armchair.  “Every time I think I’ve finally got something, the whole case turns itself on its head.”  Almost like Kokichi…

“That complicated, huh?”

“Unfortunately,” Shuichi said.  “But nothing I haven’t dealt with before.”

“Riiight,” Kokichi said slowly.  “I forgot you were, like, Mister Detective Extraordinaire.  Solving cold cases all by himself.”

“I don’t… really solve cold cases that often,” Shuichi replied with a nervous laugh.

“Still!  You’ve gotta be pretty smart to be a detective, right?”  Kokichi gave him a big closed-eyed smile.  “I bet you were a total nerd!  Nishishi!”

Shuichi laughed.  It was quiet and gentle, and it made Kokichi’s heart flutter.  “Yeah, you could say that.”

“At least you’re a cute nerd!” Kokichi added.  “Smart _and_ attractive?  I bet you had girls bending over backwards for you, huh, Saihara-chan?”  While Kokichi really _did_ think Shuichi was cute, the praise wasn’t meant to be taken seriously.  He just thought Shuichi needed a momentary distraction from the case that was so obviously taking a toll on him.

“Ah…  Not exactly,” Shuichi said.  His cheeks were turning a little pink as he became more and more embarrassed.

“Really?!” Kokichi cried.  “Wow. You must have gone to school with some dumb girls if they passed up a real snack like you~”

“A… snack?” Shuichi repeated, a slight tilt to his head.

“Oh my _god_ , Shumai!” Kokichi whined, dramatically falling over the chair, hand to his forehead like a damsel in distress.  “Why do I even bother trying to flirt with you?”

“Uhh…”  Shuichi wasn’t quite sure how to reply.  Between trying to figure out _why_ Kokichi would be flirting with him and deciding whether or not he should tell him to stop, he couldn’t really come up with a coherent sentence.

“For a detective, you’re pretty clueless, Saihara-chan!” Kokichi exclaimed with another laugh.  “Don’t worry, I find it endearing!”

“Is that so?” Shuichi asked, somewhere between flustered and annoyed.  While he _had_ told Kaede he wanted to help… it was going to prove to be a difficult task.  

Kokichi was exasperatingly hard to read.  Sometimes he seemed like just an annoyance, someone that pushed his buttons for the fun of it.  Sometimes it seemed like he was hiding behind that behaviour, but then he would turn around and completely convince Shuichi that he found great pleasure in testing his patience.  Sometimes, like then, his flattery left his cheeks rosy and his heart beating faster.  Honestly?  Kokichi Ouma was a headache.

“Yep!”  Kokichi sprang up from the chair, giving Shuichi a wink.  “Good luck on your case! Later, gator!”

“H-Hey, wait!” Shuichi called, standing up as well.  Kokichi turned back to him, eyebrow raised.  “That note, from earlier-”

“No idea what you’re talkin’ about!” Kokichi interrupted.  

“But-”

“That case must be making you crazy, Blueberry-chan!  See ya!”

Shuichi let him go, not bothering to call him back again.  He _had_ been expecting Kokichi to deny it.  He wanted to at least thank him, but he supposed he’d have to just drop it.  He’d rather not deal with any more of Kokichi’s relentless teasing anyways.  Kaede may have ample patience for that kind of thing, but Shuichi did not.

With a sigh, he sank down into his chair again, picking up the tea Kokichi had brought him and idly re-reading the document he was looking at when he’d arrived.  The tea smelled floral and slightly lemony, and almost instantly Shuichi felt a little bit better. Kokichi had been smart to bring him something to relax with rather than yet another cup of the jitters in liquid form.  

Settling back into the chair, he prepared to dive back into his case.  He wanted it done by the end of the week, and while it wasn’t impossible, it would require a fair bit of intense focusing.  Something that seemed like it would be harder to come by from then on out.  With a bit of hard work though, he was sure he could do it.  He took one last sip of tea before dragging his laptop closer to him and setting to work again.

  


“Alright, my beloved Saihara-chan!  I’m off for the day now.  Don’t go missing me too much~”

“...Huh?”

Shuichi looked up from his laptop, glasses sliding off of his nose slightly.  He hadn’t noticed that so much time had passed.  Kokichi stopped by a few more times to bring him more drinks, of course, but he had mostly left him alone, only briefly asking how things were going before leaving again.

Kokichi set a cup of water down on the table along with the parfait he hadn’t eaten earlier.  “You’re gonna get super dehydrated if you only drink coffee and tea all the time, you dummy,” he said.  “That’s probably why you looked so much like a zombie this morning!”

“Oh, right.  Thanks,” Shuichi said.  He’d been so focused on the case that, admittedly, he had been forgetting the water bottle he kept in his bag with him.

“You’ve gotta take care of yourself!” Kokichi said matter of factly, reminding Shuichi of the note he’d left earlier.  “If you died I don’t know what I’d do!  I’d perish of grief over my darling detective!”  He clutched his chest dramatically, looking up towards the ceiling for added effect.

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Shuichi said with a laugh.  “No need for the lies or theatrics.”

“Whaaat!” Kokichi cried, becoming even more melodramatic.  “These aren’t _lies_ and _theatrics_ , Shuichi Saihara!  How dare you accuse me of something so awful!”

“Ah, my apologies then, Ouma-kun,” Shuichi said softly, a smile growing on his face.  Kokichi… had his moments.

“Apology accepted, peasant!”

Ah.  Moment ended.

“Well, see you tomorrow then, Shumai!” he said, spinning on his heel and marching across the coffee shop and out the door.

Shuichi took a deep breath, looking back to the table with all of his work splayed out on it.  It always seemed to be hit or miss when Kokichi stopped by.  Sometimes it was a welcome relief, giving him a brief break from the increasingly complicated case.  Other times it only worsened his headache.  He couldn’t decide if he thought the chance was worth it.

Deciding to take a break to eat, Shuichi took his glasses off and picked up the parfait Kokichi had left him.  His name was scrawled on the side of the cup, and he noticed with a wince that Kokichi had left his number under it again.  He set the cup down and stared at it for a few moments, contemplating what he should do.

On one hand, Shuichi felt a little bad about ignoring it twice in a row.  On the other, it wasn’t like Kokichi would know that he put it in his phone if he did, and he _definitely_ wasn’t going to call him.  So… why bother?  He honestly still wasn’t sure how he felt about Kokichi, but he _did_ know for a fact that he didn’t want Kokichi to be able to call and text him whenever he wanted.

With a shake of his head, he decided to just ignore it.  He scarcely used his phone in the first place, a grand total of four people making up his list of contacts, two of which were his parents.  Kokichi would probably leave his number again the next day anyways.  He seemed the type.

No, Shuichi didn’t like him that much.

At least… not yet.


End file.
